


Building Trust with Orange and Purple

by memoriesofrain



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Building a relationship, Galra Empire, Gen, I didn't expect this to get this long, I wasn't aware that Good Guy Galra had a name until today, M/M, Matt is angry, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Secret Messages, Thace is the best Galra, Thace likes Matt's spirit, Trust, Trust Issues, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt, guilty pleasure ship, if you want more please ask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-15
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-08-15 05:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,499
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8043925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/memoriesofrain/pseuds/memoriesofrain
Summary: Thace had never met a more interesting person than the man with the burnt orange hair that wore his prison uniform like an emblem of the Galra Empire. 
He wanted to get to know this human. He wanted to experience that fire firsthand.





	Building Trust with Orange and Purple

**Author's Note:**

> This prompt was sent to me by an anon who asked me: Hey so the only reason I'm on anon for this is bc this pair is ultra rare but its like my guilty pleasure so could you write something from voltron with the ship Matt/Thace (Mace?) Maybe along the lines of one of them trying to gain the others trust?
> 
> I hope I was able to deliver :D

He knew he wasn’t like other Galra soldiers. He’d been berated by Commander Prorok enough times to realize that he wasn’t “normal.” He didn’t realize how different he was until he met a human. A small man with burnt orange hair that reminded him of the few sunsets he’d seen during his travels.

The man wore his prison clothes like he an emblem of Galra rule. He’d never seen any of the other prisoners wear the clothing with such purpose. But it was the stubbornness that lined each of his words that really caught Thace’s attention. Usually, prisoners could only bend so far before they broke and it always made Thace feel hollow when the prisoners refused to speak out against the Galra. But not this man. This man wove biting remarks between sarcastic subjugation, a sneer curling the lips that Thace admitted to staring at for too long.

It was like having a breath of fresh air after breathing through smog your entire life. And once he got a chance to experience it, Thace realized that he was having trouble trying to pretend everything was normal. So he didn’t, he just had to figure out ways to interact with this man.

“You want to do what, soldier?” Commander Prorok asked, furrowing his brow at him.

“I’m requesting to be put on prisoner duty, sir,” Thace said, his back perfectly straight while standing at attention.

Commander Prorok’s mouth turned down and Thace felt the full searching gaze that was sent his way. “Why?”

This was the tricky part, he had to make his story believable and get his commander to actually accept. “I believe that sergeant Hathen would do better in my position, it would also allow him to receive more experience outside of cell duty.”

“You actually want cell duty?”

Thace nodded his head. “Yes sir, I feel like it would be vital to understand all the duties on this ship and I’ve never worked in the prisons before.” A little ego stroking wouldn’t hurt. “If I am ever to become a commander as good as you, I need to know these things.”

Commander Prorok gave him a conceited smile. “Well, I don’t think that will be a problem then. You start tomorrow, soldier. Go talk to sergeant Hathen to get his notes on the prisoners. You might need them.”

Thace nodded his head and saluted. “Vrepit Sa!”

As he walked away, he felt something akin to excitement bubble in his chest. He was going to meet this man that had caught his attention.

The walk down to sergeant Hathen was uneventful, but when he informed Hathen that he’d be taking over the man was ecstatic.

“I can’t believe you want this job, Thace,” Hathen said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I promise you’ll be bored before the first days over.”

 “I’ll be fine, sir,” Thace said. “Commander Prorok instructed me to get your notes on the prisoners before I start tomorrow.”

Hathen made an approving hum. “It’s pretty basic, clean out the cells, feed ‘em, force them to bathe if you think they need one, and if they get out of hand I’ve found that force works wonders.” Hathen gave him a malicious grin. “Fear really is an amazing tool.”

Thace bit his tongue to not speak out against the man and instead just nodded his head. “Any prisoners I need to know about specifically?”

Hathen heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes. “Most of ‘em are terrified of us Galra at this point, but there’s this one prisoner, a human, who’s been giving me trouble ever since he got here.” That was the man. “No matter how many times I’ve tried to put the thing in its place, it keeps fighting back. It’s got some guts that’s for sure.”

Thace gave a noncommittal hum. He felt a sort of pride warm his chest at the thought of the man who’d caught his attention giving Hathen problems. It meant that his spark was still there. “Does this prisoner have a name?”

Hathen shrugged. “Probably, not that I’ve tried to figure it out.”

Thace nodded his head. “Well, thank you sergeant Hathen, I hope you enjoy your relocation.”

Hathen laughed. “Yeah, enjoy prisoner duty.”

Thace saluted and began walking away. He was going to enjoy prisoner duty more than he’d care to admit.

* * *

 

Thace walked calmly down the hallway of cells, checking in on each occupant and attending to their needs. The job was oddly relaxing, if only a bit dull. The prisoners themselves seemed shocked by him. They’d shied away from him when he’d first stepped in to their cells, but calmed down when he made no move towards them. It wasn’t surprising that Hathen had treated them poorly, it’s how they were instructed to keep prisoners in line, but Thace had no desire to act that way. So he simply followed the routine and moved on to the next cell.

When he reached the second to last cell he knew that this might be the man with the burnt orange hair. It was oddly thrilling to think that he was about to meet him. He pressed his hand against the pad before calmly stepping into the cell.

Only to be tackled by a small body. If he was any smaller he’s sure that the man would have been able to take him down, but he wobbled unsteadily at the attack, quickly wrapping his arms around the man. He quirked an eyebrow as the man started struggling violently, cursing at him between growls of frustration. At least the man had not lost his spark.

Carefully, Thace set the man down on the ground. “Well, that was the most enthusiastic greeting I’ve received from anyone today,” he said.

The man hunched in on himself, crossing his arms. “It wasn’t a greeting,” he growled. Thace felt his eyebrows climb higher on his forehead.

“I’m aware, but it was still quite enthusiastic.”

The man rolled his eyes and turned his attention to some spot on the wall. “Yeah well, when you want to escape as badly as I do, you kind of have to be enthusiastic.”

Thace nodded his head. “It’s admirable.”

The man snorted. “Yeah okay, whatever you say Galra scum.”

Thace felt his lips quirk at the insult. “That’s one I’ve heard before, but it does have the right impact.”

The man turned his attention back to him. “You’re… strange.”

Thace couldn’t hold back the smile that formed on his face. “Now that one I hear almost every day.”

“Well, you are,” the man said, uncrossing his arms and gesturing at him. “I mean, you look like them, a little less animal-y I guess, but you just act different.” The man sighed and walked over to the cot that sat in the corner. “Whatever, just do your thing and get out.”

Thace stared at the man in front of him. “You don’t want any information or anything?”

The man shrugged. “Why should I ask when I know you won’t tell me?”

It was a logical approach to the situation, but Thace couldn’t stand just letting it go. “I could deliver a message,” Thace said, staring at the man to gauge his reactions. “You arrived on this ship with another human, older man, your father perhaps? I could give him a message for you.”

The man gaped at him but scrambled his way over and took a fistful of the fabric that made up his shirt. “Are you playing with me? Because if you are…”

Thace was sure that the other man couldn’t actually do any real harm for him, but he shook his head anyway. “I’m not lying to you. I’ll deliver the message,” the relief that grew on the man’s face was short lived as he finished his statement. “If you tell me your name.”

The man narrowed his eyes. “My name?”

Thace nodded. “I can’t very well keep calling you the man with the burnt orange hair.”

The man was silent for a while and Thace took advantage of that time by studying the man’s features. His cheeks that had still clung to childish pudginess had melted away into sculpted cheekbones, although they were softer than his own. His hair had grown quite a bit since he’d arrived and lay tangled against his shoulders. Thace could see the fading bruises along his jaw and neck and felt a rage bubble in his gut.

“Will you tell me your name first?” The man asked, breaking Thace from his observations.

He nodded his head. “My name is Thace,” he said softly holding out a hand in what he knew was a common curtesy for humans. The man looked at his hand warily before he gave Thace’s hand one quick pump before snatching his hand back and rubbing it against his pants.

“Tell my father I’m okay and that I’m going to get us out of here,” the man said. “Tell him that I love him and that we’re going to go back home before too long. Tell him that I’m never going to give up trying.”

Thace nodded his head once. “I’ll be right back after I deliver the message,” Thace said, walking back towards the entrance. He took another look back to see the man still staring at him warily and with what he thought was disbelief. “I’ll be back for your name.”

He exited the cell and walked over to the last cell, opening the door and stepping in. He wasn’t attacked like he had been in the man’s room, but the man’s father looked at him with a familiar disdain. His hair had most likely been the same burnt orange, but now had turned almost completely white with only a handful or so of those burnt orange strands.

Thace started by doing his duties, trying not to let the glare he felt against his back affect him. He grabbed a tray of food from the cart in the hallway and placed it on the floor in front of the man as he’d refused to take it when he gave it to him. As soon as he finished his duties he turned his full attention back to the older man.

“I have a message for you,” Thace said.

The older man’s eyes flashed. “I don’t want to hear any message from that god damn commander of yours,” he groused.

Thace shook his head. “It isn’t from the commander, it’s from your son.”

The older man’s eyes widened so much that Thace was worried they’d fall out of their sockets. “From my son…?” His voice was so much more vulnerable now, nothing like the snapping dog he had been.

“He wanted me to let you know that he’s okay and he’s going to get you out of here,” Thace began, speaking slowly and clearly. “He wanted me to tell you he loved you and that you’ll both be going home before too longer. And that he’s never going to give up trying.”

The older man gave a half-hearted laugh that broke into quiet sobs. Thace wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do but he did comfort the older man as he sobbed for his son. Whether in pride or not, Thace understood how something like that could hurt someone. His large palm took up more than half of the older man’s back, but he just let it rest there nonchalantly to show some kind of comfort.

As soon as the older man came back to his sense he pushed Thace away quickly. “Thank you for giving me the message.” The man crossed his arms and looked over Thace’s body. “Would you give him one back from me?”

Seeing as how it was just him down in the prisons, Thace didn’t see a reason not to agree to the terms. “What’s the message?” Thace asked.

The man let out a relieved sigh. “Thank you, now the message I want you to deliver is this: I love you very much and don’t worry, we will get out, but try and stay out of trouble.”

Thace almost laughed at the idea of the other man trying to stay out of trouble. “Consider it done.”

The older man’s shoulders seemed to relax further. “Thank you, please hurry and deliver that to him.”

Thace wondered how he ended up playing messenger to the father and son, but at least he was going to find out the other man’s name now. He walked briskly over to the man’s cell and stepped in without warning. He leaned to the side to avoid the fist that was headed for his face and couldn’t help but give the man a dry look.

“I told you I’d be back,” Thace said.

The man crossed his arms defensively. “Did you deliver my message?” he asked impatiently.

Thace nodded. “He says he loves you as well and that you shouldn’t worry because you will be getting out soon,” the man nodded his head absentmindedly. “He also said that you should try and stay out of trouble.”

The man froze before a laugh bubbled out of him, distracting Thace with the beautiful noise. Thace listened to the rough sounds settled down.

“I’m sorry, it just sounds ridiculous to tell someone that especially when they’re being held prisoner by aliens.”

It didn’t seem like bad advice to Thace but he let the man have his laugh. “Now, may I have your name?”

The man’s face soured slightly but he sighed. “It’s Matt.”

Matt. Thace rolled the name in his brain, quickly associating the name with all the things he liked about the man. “It’s a good name,” the man scoffed softly but didn’t say anything. “Would you be okay if I talked to you more?”

Matt furrowed his brows and gave him a mistrustful glare. “Why?”

Why indeed? Thace still didn’t know why the human had captured his attention so readily. “I find you interesting and I want to get to know you better.”

Matt was silent for a moment. “Would you tell me about yourself?”

Thace’s lips quirked up at that. “If I want you to trust me that’s the only way, right?”

Matt nodded his head furiously. “It’ll still take more than that. You know that, right?”

“All too well,” Thace admitted. “But I’m willing to work to garner your trust.”

Matt didn’t speak up for a while and Thace wondered what the man was thinking. “… What do you want to know?” Matt asked hesitantly, as if he was afraid of the answer he might receive.

Thace smiled softly. “Tell me about your home.”

He spent well over an hour talking to Matt, finding out small snippets of his life and family and of Earth itself. Matt didn’t trust him yet and maybe he didn’t trust Matt either, but they had made an attempt that Thace had feared would never happen.

He knew that when they both trusted each other, they’d look proudly back at this first step.

**Author's Note:**

> If you have any other prompts you'd like me to take a shot at please send them to [cakelanguage](https://cakelanguage.tumblr.com) on tumblr.
> 
> If you just want more of this, you can just write it in the comments :)
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING


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